


soft sides

by artenon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Kittens, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2369222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artenon/pseuds/artenon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which animals like Tsukishima but not Kageyama, it's raining, and there's a kitten.</p><p>
  <i>It’s just a little ridiculous—who would have thought Kageyama of all people would have a soft spot for kittens?</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	soft sides

**Author's Note:**

> put me in the trash where i belong, kagetsuki is too cute just punch me in the face
> 
> [(also on tumblr)](http://artenon.tumblr.com/post/98593329540/soft-sides-kagetsuki)

High on the list of things Tsukishima never expected to see while walking home after school in the rain is Kageyama crouched in front of a bush. Those are pretty specific conditions, though, and the truth is, he never expected to see this in any context.

He stops walking, unsure of what to make of the situation. Kageyama’s umbrella is sitting closed beside him and so he’s getting soaked, and yet he doesn’t even seem to notice as he peers beneath the bush.

“What’s wrong, King?” Tsukishima taunts. “Did you drop your brain down there?”

Kageyama jerks up and stares at him. He scowls. “Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?”

“What are you doing?” Tsukishima asks.

He’s genuinely curious, but Kageyama’s glare just seems to intensify. He sits up, and Tsukishima sees that the front of his uniform is all muddy—and his sleeves, and his pants.

“None of your business,” Kageyama says. “Go away.”

“Your hand is bleeding,” Tsukishima points out, although he hopes Kageyama already knows that.

Kageyama hides his hands behind him.

Tsukishima walks over and squats on the toes of his feet, holding his umbrella over them both. “You’re going to catch a cold if you stay out here.”

Kageyama snorts. “I wouldn’t think you’d care about that. I would think it might even make you happy.”

Tsukishima shifts uncomfortably. “What do you take me for? I’m not that cruel.” When Kageyama doesn’t respond, he asks, “Seriously, what are you doing?”

Kageyama hesitates for a moment longer, then nods at the bush and says, “There’s a kitten under there.”

Tsukishima stares.

“Don’t laugh,” Kageyama warns, going red in the face.

It’s hard not to, to be honest, although it’s not that he wants to laugh in a taunting way. It’s just a little ridiculous—who would have thought Kageyama of all people would have a soft spot for kittens?

Tsukishima comes to a decision.

“Hold this,” he says, handing his umbrella to Kageyama.

Kageyama takes it, and Tsukishima sees that his hands, both of them, are bleeding from a multitude of scratches. How long has he been kneeling here, trying to coax the kitten out?

He looks between his clean clothes and the muddy ground, sighs in resignation, and gets down on his hands and knees.

“Watch out for its claws,” Kageyama says.

“It’s okay,” Tsukishima says. He peers under the bush and sees a shivering little dark gray ball of fur. The kitten is seriously tiny, probably only a few weeks old; he’s impressed that it managed to scratch Kageyama up so badly.

“Here, kitty,” he says softly, reaching out his hand slowly. The kitten inches cautiously towards him. Tsukishima waits, patient, quiet, until the kitten rubs its head against his fingers, and he scratches it behind its ears.

Gradually, he pulls his hand back, leading the kitten out from under the bush. When it’s close enough, he scoops it up in his arms and sits up on his knees.

Kageyama is staring at him. “How did you do that?”

Tsukishima shrugs a little, embarrassed. “Animals like me. I don’t know why.”

“They don’t like me,” Kageyama mutters. He looks—jealous? Sad?

Tsukishima pets the kitten’s little head, and the kitten, nestling deeper into the warmth of his arms, starts purring, a continuous rumble that starts off quiet at first, then spreads through its entire body.

“Here,” he says to Kageyama, quietly. “You can pet it.”

Kageyama shakes his head, but Tsukishima can tell he really wants to, and he leans closer toward him, encouraging.

After another moment’s pause, Kageyama reaches out a tentative hand and settles it on the kitten’s back.

The kitten doesn’t move. If anything, it purrs louder.

Kageyama starts stroking the kitten lightly, as if he’s afraid to touch it too much. His mouth quivers, like he’s trying really hard not to smile. Tsukishima’s only seen him look like this sometimes while playing volleyball, and to see him getting so excited over petting a kitten of all things is…kind of cute, actually, and isn’t _that_ something he never once thought he would consider Kageyama as?

“Why don’t you hold it?” Tsukishima asks.

“Oh, no—” Kageyama starts, but Tsukishima is already transferring the kitten to his arms

Kageyama’s hand moves to support the kitten. There’s a flash of movement, and then the kitten is scratching Kageyama’s hand.

“Shit, sorry,” Tsukishima says, trying not to laugh as he quickly takes the kitten back into his arms. It immediately calms back down and starts purring again. “Wow, animals _really_ don’t like you.”

“Yes, I know,” Kageyama says, cradling his hand, covered in fresh wounds. “Thank you for that,” he adds, sarcastic.

“We should get out of the rain,” Tsukishima says. He looks at the kitten, then at Kageyama looking at the kitten. Before he can think about it any longer and change his mind, he says, “My house is close by. Do you want to come over until the rain lets up?”

Kageyama takes a long time to answer. “Okay,” he says.

They stand, and Kageyama picks up his umbrella and bag from the ground.

“I didn’t know you liked animals,” Tsukishima says as they walk, Kageyama carrying Tsukishima’s umbrella, the kitten nestled in Tsukishima’s arms.

“Who says I do?” Kageyama mutters without looking at him.

“Most people would give up after getting scratched once,” Tsukishima points out, and Kageyama frowns.

“I don’t know why animals don’t like me.” Kageyama glances at the kitten in Tsukishima’s arms. “But I couldn’t just leave it there.”

Beneath his hard exterior, Kageyama’s soft. Tsukishima wasn’t expecting that. Although he is, too, a little.

When they get to Tsukishima’s house, Tsukishima looks Kageyama over once and says, “You’re not sitting anywhere in those clothes.”

“Wow. So, what, am I supposed to just stand around?” Kageyama asks, scowling.

“If you please,” Tsukishima sneers, then drops the mean tone. “I was actually going to offer to let you borrow my clothes. They shouldn’t be too big on you. You can use the shower, too, if you want.”

Kageyama looks surprised. “I—okay. Thank you,” he says, awkward.

“Get in the shower,” Tsukishima says. “I’ll set clothes out for you.”

“Thank you,” he says again, looking at him strangely, almost puzzled. How much of an asshole does Kageyama think he is, anyway?

Tsukishima points Kageyama to the bathroom, then sets a towel on the couch and leaves the kitten there.

He changes into clean clothes—he can shower later, since he at least didn’t get drenched like Kageyama—then finds some old sweatpants and a sweater for Kageyama to wear, which he leaves in the bathroom along with a towel.

Tsukishima goes back to the living room and sits down next to the kitten.

“You need a bath, too,” he says to it, observing its grubby fur.

The kitten blinks up at him, then crawls over onto his lap.

“Oh—don’t do that,” Tsukishima complains. He lifts the kitten up and looks at his lap, which now has muddy paw marks on it. He holds the kitten up to his face. “I just changed into clean clothes,” he scolds it.

The kitten mewls at him, purring.

It’s too easy to forgive kittens, unfortunately. Tsukishima sighs and cuddles the kitten against his face, letting the damp, matted fur brush against his cheek.

“I guess that guy isn’t so bad for a king, huh?” he says. “We could probably both be a little nicer to him.”

He hears Kageyama coming from the bathroom, and hurriedly sets the kitten back down on the towel. The kitten pads back to his lap and lies down. Tsukishima gives up.

“Thanks,” Kageyama says again as he moves to join them on the couch.

Seeing Kageyama wearing his clothes should not be doing things to him.

“Do you want tea or something?” he asks, looking somewhere over Kageyama’s shoulder.

Kageyama hesitates. “I don’t want…to disturb,” he says at last, gesturing to the kitten on Tsukishima’s lap.

“Oh, shit, your hands,” Tsukishima says. It looks like most of the scratches have stopped bleeding now, but they should still tend to them. “Can you get the first aid kit from the bathroom?”

Kageyama does, and Tsukishima makes Kageyama hold out his hands so he can apply antibiotics to the scratches and put bandages on them. From his lap, the kitten continues to purr, curled up into a ball. How can such a little thing purr so loudly, anyway?

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Kageyama asks as Tsukishima works.

Tsukishima presses the last bandage into place. “I’m a jerk, but I’m not heartless,” he says, patting Kageyama’s hands a little. Kageyama pulls away, and Tsukishima draws back, too.

Wanting to diffuse the strange tension between them, Tsukishima asks, “Do you want to try holding the kitten again?”

“No!” Kageyama says, actually scooting away, as if he’s afraid that Tsukishima will dump the kitten on him and leave him victim to its claws again.

Tsukishima can’t help it. He giggles, bringing a hand up to cover the sound.

Kageyama stares.

“What?” Tsukishima asks, defensive. “Why are you blushing?”

“Why are _you_ blushing?”

“I’m not,” Tsukishima says, turning away.

Neither of them speaks. After a while, Kageyama inches closer and starts petting the kitten. Tsukishima watches him, watches his hand moving to scratch the kitten behind the ears, before going back to flatten the fur on its back, and feels for some reason like he needs to hold his breath.

“Ah,” Kageyama says, and Tsukishima isn’t sure how much time has passed. “It’s stopped raining.”

Tsukishima listens, and hears nothing. “You’re right.”

“I should go now,” Kageyama says.

Tsukishima wants to tell him he can stay longer, but he can’t bring himself to. He just watches silently as Kageyama stands and collects his things. He doesn’t move to get up himself, instead letting his hand rest on the kitten asleep on his lap, petting it absently.

It’s when Kageyama reaches the door that Tsukishima realizes he can’t let him leave without any more words exchanged between them.

“You can come over again tomorrow,” he says. “If you want.”

Kageyama turns and looks at him. A tiny smile appears on his face. “Yeah,” he says. “I’d like that.”


End file.
